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There is an exciting clash of attitudes to be found in the music found on Undelicinable Ways, this second full-time album from Sicillian rockers Partinico Rose. One the one hand, they drive their music on with the power passion, energy and attitude of the best of today’s alt-rock set. On the other, their dark demeanour and creative, occasionally non-rock approach to writing songs, suggests that they are fans of the more gothic-infused edge of the post-punk era.
The result is a fantastic weave of intelligent creativity and an unassailable rock drive. Lyrically, it is also music that has something to say, running beguiling narratives and cloaked metaphors through its songs. What we have here is music that is both big and clever!
Take “Prisoners,” for example, a song that barks its words over aggressive and raw riffs, depth-charge bass lines, and driving beats but feels a whole echelon or two above the usual rock and roll fayre.
And so the album goes on, marrying amphetamine-fuelled rock and dark poeticism. But not everything is all about foot-on-the-monitor, fist-in-the-air rock and roll frenzy. “Runaround” is a cool balladic delivery, acoustic guitars gliding over classical soundscapes. “Pettiness” is even more delicate, running in an engaging waltz time, and the title track is a complex and rewarding blend of…well, everything I have just mentioned.
But for me, they are at their most compelling when the volume is racked up slightly and they are really kicking out the jams, and “The Hard Competition” is the sound of alternative rock as you always wanted it to be: hard, heavy, intense but wonderfully interesting.
A wonderful reminder of what has gone before? Yes. A refreshing and much-needed shot in the arm to the modern underground scene? Absolutely.
